Closed Curtain
by Boo Radley 5000
Summary: They visit every year. But Wendy gets older while Peter stays the same. Things can change without anyone noticing until it's too late. "Won't you stay with us?" she asked. A short one-shot.


Here is a very short one-shot with my first foray into Peter Pan. I've read the original book and once saw the Disney movie of it so the placement is kind of a mix of those two.

Disclaimer: I do not own it.

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"We've had bad luck with children; they've all grown up."

-Christopher Morley

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"What?"

"It's just that we would miss you terribly. John, and Michael, and myself. It would be frightfully dull. We could bring all of the lost boys too and…" Wendy's voice faded.

Peter's tan face was pale, devoid of any color. He looked completely shocked. "Why would you even ask me that Wendy?" he asked in a low voice.

"I just…" Wendy faltered.

"You don't really believe that I'd leave everything do you?" Peter asked. "Everything?"

"It'll all be there still when you return," Wendy said, "Everything stays the same in Neverland."

"But I'd get older!" Peter interjected forcefully. "That would change everything!"

Wendy bit her lip for a moment. "But you've been a child for so long. Perhaps it _is_ fun to grow up- just a little. Maybe being older isn't that b-"

Peter darted over to her and clapped his calloused hand over her mouth. "You've forgotten what it is to be a child!" he exclaimed.

Wendy threw his hand off indignantly. "I haven't either!"

"When did this happen?" Peter said, "When did you grow up?"

"I'm only thirteen, Peter! I'm years away from being an adult!"

"But you're not a child anymore. Thirteen is when it happens? Ah Wendy, why didn't you stay with us? We could've stopped you from growing but we can't fix you now that you've grown."

"I am _not_ grown!" Wendy repeated insistently. "I'm still five years away from being too old!"

"Five more years?" he repeated. "How old will you be then?"

"Well, I'm thirteen now."

"So how old will you be in five more?" Peter repeated.

Wendy stared at him for a moment. "What's five plus thirteen, Peter?"

"I dunno, that's why I'm asking!" Peter exclaimed irritated.

"You haven't learned anything have you?" Wendy said slowly. "We could fix that, if you came to live with us, we could fix it and teach you things that would let you do everything else!"

"I know plenty!" Peter exclaimed with a shocked expression. "I can fight Captain Hook, I can speak to Tink, I know Neverland, I can fly!" he looked hurt now, "How could you say I don't know anything?"

"But you could learn other things as well," Wendy said. "You could learn how to read, and how to add and subtract, and how to cook, and write, and the entire world could be open to you!" Wendy had an excited expression now.

Peter couldn't fly anymore and he sat with a bad tempered air about him. "Why would I want your dumb old world?" Peter mumbled, "You have to _read_ about adventures."

Now Wendy was insulted, "What's wrong with reading?" she demanded. "You like the stories I tell!"

"They weren't real?" Peter said. "You had just read them in a silly old book?" he asked with contempt.

"Some of them probably were," Wendy said.

"The boring ones," Peter muttered.

"Quit being so aggravating!" Wendy said angrily as she stood, the hem of her nightgown sweeping around her feet. "Do try to be reasonable!"

"Oh listen to yourself!" Peter exclaimed. "You grew up! How could you do that?"

Wendy was silent for a long time. "Could I un-grow up?" she asked hesitantly.

Peter shook his head. "Once a grownup, always a grownup. Even I know that."

"But I didn't mean to," she said. "I didn't try to grow up, I don't even know how…"

Peter rubbed the childish tears impatiently. "So I guess you can't come back with me."

"But surely I can go back!" Wendy said with panic. "I still know how to get there! I know how to fly-"

"But you won't see it," Peter interjected.

Wendy and Peter were silent except for a telltale sniffle on Wendy's part. "And you won't stay here?" she finally asked quietly.

"No," he said firmly. "I won't grow up."

She nodded. "Well I guess this is goodbye, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Peter said. "Goodbye Wendy."

"Goodbye Peter," she replied.

Peter went and stood up on the window-sill and then turned around for a moment, his spirit already lifting as he said, "I'll visit you always!"

And he flew off with his childlike happiness that couldn't be bothered for long.

Wendy stared after him before carefully shutting the windows and pulling the curtains.

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